Tending rest like a garden bed
Rest isn't the absence of effort — it's a bed that needs preparing, watering, and protecting from weeds.
8 October 2026 · 1 min read
I used to treat rest as whatever was left over once the day was done. Lately I treat it the way I'd treat a garden bed: something to prepare on purpose.
Preparing the soil
The hour before bed is the soil. What goes into it decides what grows.
- Dim the lights an hour before sleep.
- A warm shower or a few minutes of stretching.
- Tomorrow's first task written down, so the mind can set it down.
Watering
Small, regular care beats a single heroic effort. A twenty-minute afternoon lie-down on a hard day counts. So does an early night once a week, chosen in advance.
Pulling weeds
The things that crowd out rest are usually quiet ones:
- the "just one more" scroll
- caffeine after two o'clock
- unresolved conversations replayed at night
Notice one weed at a time. Pull it gently. It will grow back; that's what weeds do.
A reminder to self: rest is not earned. It's part of the work of being alive.